In fluid systems which carry water, such as boiler systems, air conditioning systems, water towers and the like, a persistent problem which must be dealt with is the accumulation and depositing of scale on the interior surfaces of the system components which reduce signficantly the efficiency of the system. For example, the accumulation of scale at the interior surfaces of a boiler adversely affect the thermal efficiency thereof, and the accumulation of scale at the interior surfaces of pipes and conduits will tend to choke the free flow of water therethrough and thereby reduce the overall efficiency of the entire system in which such pipes are disposed.
There are several known methods of controlling the formation of scale, including the use of ultrasonic vibrators to physically remove scale which has already formed in the system, the use of chemical additives which help to prevent scale deposits, and the use of positive and negative electrodes which are dispersed in the water to act as a galvanic couple which reduces the formation of scale by the salts which are contained in the water.
The ultrasonic vibration method of reducing scale is relatively expensive, and, additionally, particles of scale are simply loosened from a surface so that they generally remain as suspended particles which can clog other equipment in the system.
Chemical additives, while being effective in reducing scale, have the disadvantages of being relatively expensive to use while also adulterating the water to which the chemicals have been added.
The use of electrodes to reduce or eliminate scale has also proved generally effective, but known electrode systems also have encountered certain drawbacks. In such known systems, the proximity of an electrode to the metallic or electrically charged components has been uneven so that the electrical energy generated between such electrode and the other components is undesirably concentrated so as to cause localized deterioration of the electrode and the other components, and to cause an uneven distribution of the ionization of the water flowing past the electrode and other components.
The present invention provides an improved ionization chamber in which an electrode is particularly arranged to provide an even distribution of electrical energy throughout the ionization chamber to thereby eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks normally associated with electrode ionization systems.